Incorrectly labeled contracting on my resume

Question

Background - I stumbled upon this answer and it's making me very nervous.

I've only been in the work force for about 1 year, working through a contracting agency (my paychecks are from them) for a different company. On my resume, I thoughtlessly listed the company I actually worked without mention of the contracting agency. It was an honest (and I think not unreasonable) mistake from someone new to the industry and not intentionally meant to mislead, since my interaction with the contracting agency has been so limited.

The references I listed were also all from the company for which I actually performed the work.

I just accepted a job offer from a new company - is the contract nature of my employment worth mentioning to the new company at this point? Would this be grounds for them to rescind my offer, and if so, how best should I address this?

Answer 1

I've only been in the work force for about 1 year, working through a contracting agency (my paychecks are from them) for a different company. On my resume, I thoughtlessly listed the company I actually worked without mention of the contracting agency.

I just accepted a job offer from a new company - is the contract nature of my employment worth mentioning to the new company at this point? Would this be grounds for them to rescind my offer, and if so, how best should I address this?

Based on your question and comments, it appears:

• Your resume leads readers to believe that you work for the "different company" full time. Some people would consider this the same as lying since you are actually a contractor, working for a contracting company.
• Background checks and references will be performed. They are certain to uncover the fact that you were not an employee, and were in fact a contractor.
• Clearly you never mentioned that you were a contractor in your interviews, or you wouldn't be asking this question.

You should contact the new company right now, and correct the data. Offer to send an updated (and correct) resume.

It's far better to find out the truth from you now, than have them discover it on their own and conclude that you were attempting to mislead them.

Since you appear to be in the US, then yes, this could be grounds to rescind their offer (or fire you after you have started). If they like you, it probably won't cause them to change their mind. But you need to find out now.

Answer 2

Correct your resume

First, it probably goes without saying, but be sure to update your resume so that it accurately reflects your experience. This way you don't find yourself in this predicament in the future.

I just accepted a job offer from a new company - is the contract nature of my employment worth mentioning to the new company at this point?

Yes, come clean with your mistake, as they will most likely find out about the error with a background check. Better to admit the mistake than to be taken as a liar.

Would this be grounds for them to rescind my offer, and if so, how best should I address this?

Yes, it would be grounds for them to rescind the offer or potentially let you go later on down the road if they found out. As I stated above, call them now and tell them about your error. Most likely in this case you will be fine.

Answer 3

Tell them what you have told us before they find out from other sources. You made a honest mistake and you have been in the industry for only a year, so most reasonable people would let it go if you own it up. Be prepared to lose the offer though, because everyone is not reasonable.

To put you at a little more ease, I will point out the other option you have: don't tell them and pretend that you know nothing. That doesn't get you too far with this offer, because it will be easily caught in the background check. At that point, they may rescind the offer or at best, ask you to explain the discrepancy.

If you explain the mistake then, they might carry the perception that you are just cooking up a story because you got caught. It is possible they might even believe your explanation, in which case, it would have been much cleaner to just explain in the first place.

Long story short, in any scenario, owning up to your mistake doesn't lead to a worse outcome than pretending that you didn't realize your mistake. So go ahead and clear your conscience.

For future reference, always get your resume proofread by an experienced person, or at least a peer. Good luck for the rest of your career!